What Is Balance?

Balance is the ability to maintain desired posture whilst performing movements or physical tasks. When we lose our balance, we lose our positioning and are unable to maintain the position that we are trying to maintain. A lose of balance can occurs whilst we are performing day to day movements rather than in a stationary position. Balance is a physical characteristic that becomes more and more important as we age, as it often deteriorates with age and therefore needs to be trained in order to maintain it.

Why Is Balance Important: Benefits of Dynamic Balance Exercises

Athletic Performance

Athletes are very often ensuring that their speed and their muscle mass is in peak physical condition, but balance is rarely a focus. This is a mistake in the training emphasis for those athletes who require excellent balance to excel in their sports. Think of American Football athletes who need a mixture of speed and balance to be at their peak. The exercises in this list will be perfect for athletes to progress their dynamic balance characteristics, especially the most challenging ones.

Day to Day Life

We often find ourselves in situations where we need to use our balance, from getting out of a car to going on a moderate hike. Both these situations will require a certain degree of balance that some of society can struggle to perform. This is why maintaining balance as we age is an excellent investment in your health. The ability to stay active in your later years is not something you should take for granted.

Injury Mitigation

Having excellent balance instead of just moderate balance can be the difference between having a dangerous fall and not having a fall. Falls are particularly dangerous for elderly people as it can result in a long term sedentary lifestyle. Hence balance training should be performed in order to help mitigate these sorts of injuries.

How Can We Train Balance

We can improve balance through providing a stimulus that overloads the balance system and therefore creates adaptations to improve it. This means selecting exercises that challenge the system but are safe to perform and can be performed with technical proficiency. Those who find walking a challenge should not be performing jumping exercises and those with excellent athletic capabilities will not create change through performing knee to chest walks.

5 Dynamic Balance Exercises To Add to Your Training For Improved Balance and Stability